On this week’s episode of “Seth Rudetsky’s Back to School” Podcast, Sean Hayes reveals how he was winning the “Golden Crutch” award for being the clumsiest person in his high school drama department. Hear how he earned the title, plus how he coped with getting hazed.
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“…being gay saved me.”
Sean: I find funny people and they bring joy into your life. And I think that’s what saved me that, and being gay saved me.
Seth: Wait a minute, saved you?
Sean: Yeah. Because I think it makes you, a survivor and it forces you to create coping mechanisms that otherwise you wouldn’t be able or forced to create.
Seth: I see. It helps you dealing, it helps you deal with hard things cause you’re constantly dealing with a hard thing.
Sean: That’s right.
The Golden Crutch awards and knocking out director’s tooth
Sean: There was a wheelchair, in the scene for the next scene. And there was a rope hanging from one of the battens, which holds the scenery. And I was controlling the batten machines to raise and lower them, we had a lot of flight space. It was a great theater. Anyway, so there was a rope hanging from one of the battens and it hooked onto the handle of the wheelchair.
Seth: On purpose or that was a mistake?
Sean: Mistake. Just hanging. And somebody left it by. So when I raised the scenery, it picked up the wheelchair, the rope and it raised it. And then the blankets sitting on the chair hung from the wheel of it. So it went batten, rope, wheelchair, blanket, and then the curtain came up and the first line was the girl was supposed to be in the wheelchair and it was something like, I can’t believe I can’t walk. I lost my leg and she’s just standing there. It was awful and I was crying. It was awful.
Seth: What were you laughing?
Sean: Uh, not then, Now, it’s hilarious. I was freaking out then I was like, everybody backstage. Did you know the drama of high school theater, like bullying. And so then that year at the Thespian awards, they were giving away the Golden Crutch award. And of course.
Seth: Every year?
Sean: Every year. They’re giving away the Golden Crunch award to the clumsiest person of the year. And of course, I got it for hanging the wheelchair and we sang [inaudible] Ooh, can hang a wheelchair hanging in midair. Hang it real high. So Ms. [Inaudible] doesn’t care, Sean Hayes can, right. Okay. And so Ms. [Inaudible] wasn’t here then a woman director. Anyway, so then I get up to get the Golden Crutch and Ms. [Inaudible] standing there presented it to me. And of course, I have this thing with [inaudible] physical comedy and tripping cause it’s so funny to me. I thought it’d be really funny if right before I go grab the Golden Crutch, I tripped when I grabbed it and I did and I knocked her in the face and her tooth came out. There was blood everywhere in front of everybody.
Seth: Oh my God.
Sean: I was like, do I talk? and she’s like freaking out holding her mouth. And, and, uh, it was awful. It was awful.